


drink with me

by plinys



Series: ABC Fic Challenge [21]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Episode tag 3x02, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-10
Updated: 2015-10-10
Packaged: 2018-04-25 18:44:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4972147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plinys/pseuds/plinys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Daisy takes her unofficial wingwoman duties a bit too seriously, and Mack and Joey get drinks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	drink with me

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted to write some Joey x Mack, and because I needed an excuse, this loosely fits for my abc fic challenge, with the letter "u" and the word being "understand"

“He’s a good candidate,” Daisy says, but the way she rolls the word _candidate_ around suddenly makes it mean something completely different.

“Don’t,” is the only warning Mack is able to get out.

Because the next second her face has gone from faux-innocent to one hundred percent scheming. It’s moments like these one when he’s pretty sure coming out to her had been a mistake. At least it had stopped her from drunkenly hitting on him whenever she got sad, though instead it had inspired the biggest fit of matchmaking Mack had ever seen.

Daisy’s determination in this regard had rivaled even Hunter’s, and Hunter had had many year of being his unwanted wingman to his credit.

“I’m just saying,” she says, in a gooey sweet tone, “He’s nice, attractive if you’re into that thing, which I know you are, and he could really use a _friend_.”

“I’m not taking advantage of somebody just so they’ll join your team,” he tells her in a slight warning.

“I wasn’t saying that” she insists, “I just think you both need to let off some steam, plus he could like melt your pants off, that’s got to be hot.”

Mack rolls his eyes.

“Jeans aren’t made of metal, Tremors.”

“Zippers are!”

\---

“I was being serious about the friends thing,” she says later when Mack had though the subject of her wingman (wingwoman?) duties were long passed.

Of course, Daisy would decide that the best time to bring the subject up again would be when Mack is flying a plane and too focused on that to put up with a real debate with her. She’s a smart one that way.

“You don’t have to sleep with him, but he needs somebody that understands. Plus you’ve got some mutual interests-“

“You mean we’re both into men?”

Daisy lets out a little laugh at that, “You also both used to date health nuts? Maybe bond over your mutual hate for organic yogurt and quinoa.”

“The yogurt actually wasn’t that bad,” Mack insists.

“That wasn’t my point,” she replies, but he’s saved from whatever her point was as they reach their destination, and the focus quickly shifts from his non-existent dating life to something he’s a bit more comfortable dealing with.

Still, he’s pretty sure he understands what she means without her having to say the words.

\---

 “So what’s the verdict,” Joey says, the second Mack steps into the room.

It takes him a second to put it all together, with the drama of the last twenty-four hours (flying halfway across the world, nearly losing Fitz in order to get Simmons back, Daisy’s sudden trip to the medical ward after holding a interplanetary portal open) it was easy for him to forget how the day had started.

It didn’t help that Daisy’s teasing _candidate_ comments were still rolling around in his head, as he shot the other guy a weak and not entirely reassuring look.

“That bad.”

“The doctor’s pretty much a stickler for rules,” Mack explains. “He hasn’t cleared anybody yet, we didn’t really expect him to clear you.”

Joey grimaces. “Let me guess, I’m a danger to myself and others? You should keep me locked up here where I can’t hurt anyone until the day I die?”

“Not that drastic,” Mack reassures him.

He looks a little bit reassured by that.

Not much, but it’s something.

“If it’s not that bad, then what’s with the beers? We’re not drinking our sorrows away,” Joey asks.

It’s as he says that that Mack remembers the reason he was here, because Joey needs a friend, someone to keep him company in this room, and Mack had it on good authority that he was the person best suited for that job. Plus there had been a celebration going on in the lounge, rejoicing that Simmons was back, but with Fitz keeping an eye on her, Daisy under the watchful gaze of _Doctor_ Morse, and Hunter who knows where – Mack had lacked a drinking buddy.

“Not this time,” Mack tells him, passing a bottle in Joey’s direction, before making himself comfortable on the couch. “We’re celebrating.”

“My failed psych evaluation?”

“A mission that went well,” Mack says, simple enough, no need to get into the whole Simmons thing with him. “You’ll know all about those soon enough.”

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Joey says. His fingers drumming against the side of his beer bottle hesitantly as though to prove his point. Though the glass bottle stays intact rather than melting away, as something metal might have. “You removed the caps?”

“Didn’t want you to accidently melt them off, not sure how the beer would taste after that” Mack replies honestly.

And is a bit surprised when in turn Joey says, “Thanks,” in return, instead of sounding offended.

There’s a lull of silence between them, that Mack fills by taking a long drink, before Joey speaks up once more, asking the inevitable, “Did Daisy put you up to this?”

“She’s not exactly in the state too,” Mack explains. Before seeing the concerned look on the other man’s face, “She’s fine. Just super spy stuff, wore her a bit out.”

He nods once. “You know, I think she was right about you?”

“Please tell me she didn’t try to do the whole wingwoman gig with you too?”

“Wait, what? No, I meant,” Joey’s look of confusion is slightly endearing, but Mack doesn’t have it in him to explain. No need to add more trouble on this guy’s already fully loaded plate. “You’re not as intimating as you look, that’s all I was going to say.”

“Teddy bear?”

“I’m not sure I would go that far.”

\---

“You know what I really miss,” Joey says, shortly after finishing his second drink.

They’ve gone from stiff and awkward to something nearly like friends in no time at all thanks to a few drink. Not comfortable enough to talk about their hopes and fear or anything as serious as that, but enough to have decent small talk.

“Fresh air,” Mack says, mostly as a joke.

“That too,” Joey agrees, “But no, I was thinking pizza. I mean, for the secret base of some like mysterious shadow organization that’s kind of holding me hostage, you guys have okay food, but what I wouldn’t give for a pizza to go with these.”

“That right?”

“There’s this place by my apartment, the owner knew me by name I went there so often and…” Joey trails off, clearly realizing that he’ll never get to go back there again.

Mack feels partially to blame.

After all, he had been the one that showed Joey the news reels in the first place, made it clear that there would never be a chance for him to go back. Realizing that he would never get to go back to those places couldn’t be easy.

Mack sort of understood. After SHIELD fell, he’d had to drop off of the radar, lost contact with a lot of old friends because they were either dead or Hydra now.

He may not have gained any unwanted superpowers, but he still understood well enough.

Instead of saying all of that though, Mack just says, “Next time, I’ll grab pizza.”

He’s not sure, but he thinks Joey looks relived for the subject not to have been pushed to the uncomfortable emotional territory.

“I'm looking forward to it."


End file.
